Truck caster



March 18 1924. 1,487,450

R.A.ENDEBROCK TRUCK GAS TER Filed July 5. 1923 2, dm /NVN)TOR BYWWWIATTORN15V.

Patented Mar. 18, 1924.

UNITED STATES ROBERT A. ENDEBROCK, OF C INCINNATI, OHIO.

'raocx ens ran.

Application filed July 5,

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT A. Eunnanoon, a citizen of the United Statesof America, and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton andState of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inTruck Casters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ball-bearing swivel-casters that are adaptedfor use in supporting store or warehouse trucks and the like so thatthey can be readily moved or shifted from place to place in the transferof goods and various commodities or articles of manufacture.

The main object of the invention is to not only simplifg and regulatethe cost of structure of the evice but to materially increase or enhanceits lasting and wearing qualities and to otherwise impart to it betterfacilities for repairs and the replacing of parts as well as to affordready access to all the parts for any desired purpose.

The details of such improved structure are hereinafter clearly and fullydescribed in connection with the accompanying sheet of drawings, inwhich-- Figure 1 is an axial section, showing the wheel-member dotted;Fig. 2 a plan of the underside of the upper bearing-member or 5, abottom plan view of the lock-ring of.

Fig. 4.

6 indicates the upper attachin -plate or bearing-member having the radiaarms or wings 7 through whose holes 8 the usual fastening-bolts notshown) are passed for attaching the sald bearing-member in usingposition. o

9 is a vertical shank 0r stud projecting downwardly from the center ofthe u per load-bearing member 6 and having its ower portionscrew-threaded. Its bottom face is plane and parallel to that of itsplane up- 1923. Serial No. 649,698.

per face and it has a downwardly-projecting circular peripheral flange10.

11 indicates the circular lower turn-table 0r carrier-member of thecaster having projecting from its bottom a pair of separated -or spacedvertical hangers or bracket-bearings 12, 13, the hanger 12 having at itslower end a vertical screw-threaded opening or hole 14, as shown inFig.1 (dotted) and in Fig. 3.

15 indicates a transverse pin or shaft secured or resting at itsopposite ends in alined holes 16, 16, made in the lower ends of the saidhangers 12 and 13, the opposite ends of such pin or shaft being madeflush with the outer faces of the said hangers so that they do not comeinto contact with any objects in the path of the caster. A verticalscrew-threaded pin or set-screw 17 is inserted in. the threaded hole 14in the lower end of the hanger 12 and it has a pointed inner end that enages a shallow notch or socket made in t e face of the transverse pin orshaft 15 to prevent the latter escaping or shifting lengthwise, or itsrelease from place in the said hangers 12 and 13 accidentally.

The hub of the wheel rim thereof dotted at 18) is loosely mounte on thesaid shaft 15 so that it may rotate thereon in the use of the caster. Itis obvious that another set-screw, similar to the one 17 can be used inthe lower end of the companion hanger 13 in order to derive greatersecuring effect to the shaft 15 in the said hangers 12 and 13 butordinarily it would not be necessary and would only add expense to thestructure.

The upper face of the lower carrier-member 11 is made plane and it has asunken, groove 19 near its peripheral edge that forms a circularrace-way for the series of balls 20 that impinge or contact with thesaid plane lower face of the u per load-bearing member 6; Said up r face of the circular lower member 11 is gdly spaced away from theadjacent hottom-faceof the u per member 6, as best shown in Fig. 1, anthe circular flange-portion 10 projects slightly below the level of saidupper face of the member 11, whereby a suitable slightly spaced guard isprovided in which-the member 11 can freely rotate within, and with thesaid balls 20 hearing against the underside of said upper member 6 forthe'various swivel movements required of the caster.

6 21 and serves to freely accommodate the downwardlyprojecting threadedshank or stud 9 on the bottom of member 6.

23 indicates a circular lock-ring whose central orifice or hole 23 isscrew-threaded 10 and whose upper peripheral edge is provided with aquarter-circle groove 24 that forms a race-way for the series of balls25 that are of lesser diameter than that of the balls 20 to compensatefor the difference in diameter of the lock-ring 23 and that of themember 11 containing the race-way 19. The said balls 25 have a circularbearing in the angle formed by the flange 22 in the orifice 21 of member11 and a suitable space 1s allowed between the periphery of the lockring23 and the inner wall of the said orifice 21, the upper face of saidlock-ring lying in a plane below that of the lower face of said flange22 and the lower threaded end 25 of the said shank or stud 9 extendingonly art way down into the threaded hole of the ock-ring and a threadedplug 26 being used in the remainder of the threaded hole of saidlock-ring to set and lock the ring 23 in place when the parts areassembled for use,

with the balls 20 and 25 in their proper positions in their respectiverace-ways 19 and 24 for bearing purposes. A cross-slot 27 is provided inthe screw-plug 26 to accommodate the desired tool used in moving it toand from place in the threaded orifice of the lock-ring 23.

In the modified form of the two-part ballbearing lock-ring device, seenin Figs. 4 and 5, I show the downwardly-disposed shank 9 in elevationbut with its integral connection with the attaching-plate being shownbroken oil and the lower end of the said shank provided with a coarsescrew-thread.

The lock-ring 23 is made with an upper peripheral ball-rage 24, the sameas in the form' seen in Fig. 1, but it has a lower inverted-domeextension 28 that has a squarefaced edge 29 for the use, of asocket-wrench or the like in turning it to and from place on the saidthreaded lower end of the shank 9. Said extension 28 is provided with acentral orifice 30 that is screw-threaded, such thread being of a finerstructure or pitch than the coarser thread of the shank 9 above referredto and made to accommodate a screw or threaded pin 31 that takes theplace of the screw-plug 26seen in Fig. 1 and is preferably provided witha square head 32 for no turning it to and from place in the saiddome-extension 28 with its top or inner end engaged in Presser-contactwith the lower en of the said shank 9 after the lock-ring has beenturned up into the desired level for u the proper relation of the twosets of ballbearings, one between the said lock-ring and the otherbetween the circular turn-table part of the lower member 11 of thecaster and the girdled plane bottom-face of the upper attaching-platemember 6 of the caster, as seen in Fig. 1. The ditferencejn pitch of thescrew-threads on the shank 9 and on the set-screw 31, shown in Fig. 4,serves to produce a decided. lock for holding 'the upper and lowermembers of the caster in their proper working relation, and includingthe proper relation and adjustment of the ball-bearing parts thereof. Itis obvious that the set-screw 31 can be readily released or turnedoutwardly when it is desired to raise or lower the lock-ring of Fig. 4on the shank 9 to make due allowance for wear of the balls or of theirrace-ways 01 of the plane surfaces against which they contact in use.

Instead of the square extended-head 32 at the lower end of the set-screw31 a crossslot for a screw-driver could be easily substituted.

The caster is very easily assembled and taken apart.

I claim 1. A wheel-caster for trucks and the like comprising an upperattaching-member having a plane lower face with a downwardly rimmed orflanged edge, a downwardly-disposed shank or stud projecting from thecenter of said lower face of the attachingmember and having a threadedlower end, a lower plane-faced carrier-memberhaving an inwardly-flangedcentral orifice adapted to freely and concentrically accommodate thesaid shank, a circular ball-race in the upper plane-face of thecarrier-member near -its outer edge and provided with balls adapted tobear free to roll or turn against the said plane lower face of theattachingmember, a v air of hangers or bracket-bearings extendlng fromthe bottom of the said lower carrier-member duly spaced apart andadapted to receive between them thesupporting-roller of the caster thatis mounted on a transverse shaft or pin that in turn rests in alinedholes in the lower ends of the said hangers, a lock-ring having acentral threaded openin adapted to engage with the lower threa ed end ofsaid shank for interlocking the said upper and lower members of thecaster in due relation free to permit the lower member to swivel on theupper member, a circular race-way constructed along the upper peripheryof the lock-ring and provided with balls adapted to bear'free to roll orturn in the central orifice of the lower carrier-member beneath theinwardly-disposed flange at the upper end thereof, and a removablescrewlug insertedin the lower portion. of the threaded opening of thelock-ring for settin and locking the said shank and ring in a justed aswell as locked position, substantially as shown and described.

2. In a wheel caster for trucks and the like, the combination of anupper or attaching member having a plane lower face with adownwardly-flanged edge, a central shank or stud. pro ecting downwardlyfrom the said lower face of the attaching-member and having its lowerend screw-threaded, a lower centrally-orificed inwardly-flanged carriermember having a plane upper face that is provided with a circularrace-way near its peripheral edge, a series of 'balls in said race-wayadapted to bear against the said lower plane-face of the upperattachingmember, a lock-ring having a threaded central orifice adaptedto engage the said shank or stud and, also, having a race-way along itsupper peripheral edge that is provided with a series of balls adapted tocont-act with the inwardly-flanged upper edge of the central opening-ororifice of thelower carrieronernber, a screw-plug in the said threadedcentral orifice of the lock-ring, a

pair of spaced hangers or bracket-bearings extending downwardly from thelower face of said carrier-member and having holes in transversealinenient in the lower ends thereof, a horizontal shaft or pin mounted'in said alined holes in the hangers with its outer ends flush with theouter faces of the hangers, a vertical set-screw provided in a threadedhole made in the lower end of one or both of said hangers and with itsinner end adapted to engage a notch or socket made in the said shaft orpin in alinement with said vertical hole in the hanger or preventdislodgment of said shaft or pin, and a roller or wheel mounted on saidshaft or pin between said hangers for rotating thereon in the movementsof thecaster over the floor-surface, substantially as shown anddescribed.

3. In a Wheel caster for trucks and the like, the combination of anupper attaching-member having a central shank or stud projectingdownwardly and provided with a screw-thread of a relatively coarsepitch, a lower carrier-member having an inwardlyflanged central orificeadapted to freely and concentrically accommodate said shank or stud, acircular race-way carrying a series of balls near the outer edge of theupper face or plane-table of said lower carriermember, a pair of spacedhanger-arms projecting downwardly from the said carriermember and havinga transverse shaft or pin mounted in alined holes made in the lower endsof said hanger-arms, a casterwheel mounted on the said shaft or pinbetween said hanger-arms a lock-rin havin a central screw-threadedOrifice or hole an a peripheral race-way along its upper edge, adownward or inverted-dome extension having a square-faced edge on thelower face of said lock-ring and provided with a central orifice or holethat has a screwthread of relativel lesser pitch than that of thecoarser pitc of the screw-thread in the concentric shank-orifice made inthe lock-ring directly above said hole in the dome-extension and avertical set-screw in said last-named dome-extension adapted to securelyhold the said upper and lower members of the caster and theirball-bearings in adjusted position, substantially as shownand'described.

ROBERT A. ENDEBROCK.

